The Scarlet Vampires Incident
by Jaenera Targaryen
Summary: The Scarlet Devil Mansion replaces the Matou property several months before the events of Fate/Zero begin. And when the Fourth Holy Grail War begins, Kariya Matou enters the war to win the Holy Grail for his mistress, in return for having the decrees of fate rewritten in his favor.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon. I also do not own Touhou Project, it belongs to ZUN.

The Scarlet Vampires Incident

Prologue

"If something is worth doing, then it is worth doing _right_."

The classroom was packed to the gills, with tables meant to be shared by four students now sporting six or seven or even _eight_ students each, while the steps that ran up and down the amphitheater-like classroom had students sitting on them as well, notebooks and other materials balanced on their knees. More students sat along the edges of the ground floor, along the walls and immediately before the first rank of seats and tables. Others stood at the very back, against the wall, straining their eyes and ears if not outright reinforcing them to catch what the instructor was saying and writing on the board.

Now who might this so-greatly esteemed instructor be, that the classroom was filled beyond its normal capacity?

Who else could it be? He was Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, Master of the Second True Magic 'Kaleidoscope', Wizard Marshal of the Mages Association, Slayer of the Crimson Moon, and the greatest practitioner of Jewel Magecraft the world would ever see and know.

He had appeared out of nowhere, as he usually did, informing the surprised lords and department heads that he had come seeking a new batch of apprentices. This had thrown the entire Clock Tower into turmoil, as the lords, department heads, and other brass hats and big names present immediately began pushing forward recommendations and dossiers for their heirs, relatives, students and apprentices, all seeking a chance to share in any small way they could in the prestige of being known as connected to an apprentice of the nigh-legendary Wizard Marshal.

Granted, only a few of them would actually be chosen, and those that would be faced great risk and hardship. Those that would be apprentices to a _magician_ faced a **_VERY_** large chance of going irrecoverably insane, and while that did not apply to those who would be apprentices to a _magus_ , the Wizard Marshal had higher standards than most, with many if not most flunking out due to their inability to keep up.

Those that could though, well…

…they would become among the greatest magi of their age. And that was enough for everyone with a big name and those with small names but great ambition to take the risk.

All that aside, however, the Wizard Marshal had also stated that while he was considering apprentices, he would also be holding lectures on Jewel Magecraft, open to members of all departments willing and able to attend. To minimize the bureaucratic difficulties and risks of inter-department strife, the lectures would be held not at the Department of Mineralogy as they would usually be – Jewel Magecraft falling under that department's purview – but at the Department of General Fundamentals.

Each and every class was simply overwhelmed by the sheer number of students, even those who did not normally study Jewel Magecraft. A chance to learn from the Wizard Marshal was not something to be passed up, after all.

At present, the Wizard Marshall was currently lecturing not on the mystical properties of jewels, their applications and conceptual natures…but on their physical and chemical properties, the processes of their formation, their sources, how to identify their quality and how to tell the various kinds of jewels from each other…

…all in all, not much different if at all from a mineralogy class held in a mundane university.

Very basic for those present, especially those from the Department of Mineralogy. No one complained though, and notes were taken near-religiously and every bit of critical thinking ability the students possessed bent on the lectures provided by the Wizard Marshal.

If _the_ Zelretch decided he wanted his students to go back to the basics, then by God they would go back to the basics.

"…the magma will flow towards the break in the Earth's crust, and thence towards the surface." Zelretch was saying. "There, the temperatures and pressure will be insufficient for complete crystallization. Instead, the magma will cool into fine-grained rocks, with crystals distributed across the interior. These are what we call phenocrysts. Among the crystals or should we say jewels that can be commonly found in phenocrysts are corundum, moonstone, garnet, and zircon. Rubies and sapphires may also be found in phenocrysts, with Thailand especially having rich deposits of ruby and sapphire-bearing phenocrysts."

As Zelretch continued to speak, the air to one side of the teacher's desk seemed to twist on itself, and then to the alarmed responses of Zelretch and his students, _split_ open. As though a scalpel had been delicately sliced into the fabric of reality itself, an incision was made and then carefully pulled open, exposing an area of utter darkness beyond, so black as to be like a hole in reality (which it was).

And then to the horror of the students, _eyes_ opened inside the darkness, staring out into reality.

Zelretch though, didn't seem concerned at all. If anything, the moment the eyes opened, he seemed to relax, and setting down the chalk he was holding, fixed his collar.

"Kischur?" a woman's voice asked from the darkness, as red ribbons appeared out of nowhere and tied themselves into pretty bows at the ends of the split in reality. "Are you there, Kischur?"

"Yes, I am here." Zelretch replied with a cough and a smile, before stepping forward.

Mouths fell open as a beautiful blonde woman literally floated out of the hole in reality, wearing a pink dress with black cuffs under a Chinese tabard, along with a pink mob cap on her head. She twirled a pink parasol over a shoulder as she floated to a halt in midair, and then steadying herself, gently landed on her feet.

"Yukari!" Zelretch said with genuine delight as he approached. "It's been such a long time!"

"My, my, it has indeed." The blonde woman – Yukari – said with a giggle before pecking Zelretch on the lips. "You've gotten old, my dear friend."

Zelretch laughed. "Time passes." He said with a hint of sadness. "But you my dear, you haven't changed in over eight hundred years. You're still as beautiful as you were back then, under the light of the Moon, in the gardens of Jiangnin."

"Oh my," Yukari said with a blush and a giggle. "You're still such a flatterer, I see. But thank you."

Zelretch and Yukari Yakumo smiled happily at each other, much to the mortification of the students. Their public displays of affection aside, it was common knowledge that the Wizard Marshal was _old_ , and judging from what was said between them…

…this paramour of his, her appearance aside, was likely just as old as he was.

Blinking, Zelretch turned his attention back to his pale and shocked students. "Ah yes, ahem," Zelretch said without a trace of embarrassment. "Class dismissed, we'll resume where we left off tomorrow morning."

The students immediately and hastily began vacating the classroom, while Zelretch turned back to his old flame. "So," he began. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Yukari pouted. "Can't I come and visit an old friend when the opportunity comes calling?" she asked. "We're both usually quite so busy, you know."

"True," Zelretch sighed, and allowing a rare show of how much of a burden being the Second Magician was. "And I'm happy to see you too. I really am."

Yukari smiled sympathetically, and placed a hand on Zelretch's cheek. Zelretch smiled back, and taking Yukari's hand squeezed gratefully before she drew it back.

"Anyway," she said. "I do have something of concern to tell you. Well, not really, it should take care of itself, but I thought you should know regardless."

"Oh?"

"There's been an incident at Gensokyo."

"Then…from your words I imagine the Hakurei Clan should be able to handle it quite well. If so, then…?"

"The Hakurei…?" Yukari echoed. "Oh yes, of course. Reimu should be able to deal with it easily enough. Or that Shinigami, Komachi Onozuka I think it was…but that's on the other side of the veil."

"…what happened, Yukari?"

"Patchouli ran an experiment that rather went out of hand." Yukari said. "No, no, it's alright. Nothing disastrous…apart from swapping Miss Scarlet and friends and their mansion with another spot on this side of the World."

"…Scarlet…the Scarlet Sisters are back…and you don't think that's a serious matter?"

"I've looked into the gaps between timelines," Yukari said. "Remilia has no interest in staying on this side of the World in any of them, and Patchouli should be able to figure out a way to get them back into Gensokyo in a bit."

"…hmm, I'll check the timelines later, but I'm still apprehensive about letting the Scarlet Sisters run wild. Remilia Scarlet in particular, has a very dangerous ability, as you well know."

"Fate Alteration," Yukari murmured while nodding. "It's not much of an issue in Gensokyo or anywhere else on the Reverse Side of the World, but here…"

Zelretch sighed, and then offered a smile to Yukari. "In any case," he said. "While I do have my concerns, it's not that I doubt your judgment. I'm just playing the Devil's Advocate."

Yukari laughed. "Yes, I know." She said. "Always so responsible, aren't you, Kischur?"

"Of course I am." Zelretch said with a rare air of bravado…though it was completely true. "Anyway, shall we discuss this somewhere else more…private, and comfortable?"

"Why yes," Yukari said, taking an offered arm from Zelretch while closing the gap she'd arrived from. "I think we should."

"Then let us go."

"Yes, let's."

* * *

 _Let silver and steel be the essence._

 _Let stone and the Archduke of Contracts be the foundation._

 _Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall._

 _Let the four cardinal gates close._

 _Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate._

 _Let it be declared now: your fate shall serve under me, and my fate shall be with your sword._

 _Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail._

 _Answer, if you would submit to this will and truth._

 _An oath shall be sworn here: I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven, and I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell._

 _Yet you shall serve with your eyes clouded by chaos, for you would be one caged in madness, and I shall wield your chains._

 _From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, Protector of the Holy Balance!_

* * *

"Hasn't Patchy made any progress yet?"

Two people walked down a hallway carpeted and wallpapered in red, great glass windows staring out across the mansion grounds to the suburbs beyond the property wall. Well, one of them walked. The other just floated through the air.

The one who walked was a maid, wearing a dress of dark blue with white trim, under a white apron and a matching headband. She had red eyes and silver hair, the latter tied up into braids with green ribbons. She walked slowly and elegantly, hands held folded politely over her lap.

The one who floated was a little girl, about nine-years old in appearance. She wore a pink dress with red ribbons around the sleeves, and tied at the waist with a red sash. Her eyes were red, and beneath a pink mob hat decorated with another red ribbon her short-cut hair was colored pale blue. And from her back, there stretched a pair of bat-like wings wider than she was tall.

"Lady Patchouli has admitted to necessity of delaying our return us to Gensokyo." Sakuya Izayoi replied. "She expressed concern over the delicate nature of space-time conversion, in particular over the likely outcome that a mistake could lead the mansion to either be trapped in null space for an indeterminate period of time, or to simply be reduced to component atoms that would be scattered across the entire space-time continuum."

"…fine." Remilia Scarlet grumbled. "In any case, it's probably for the best, as otherwise all that work we put into getting that man into shape to win the Grail for us would have been for nothing."

"As you say, my lady." Sakuya said.

"How's that little girl I asked you to take care of?" Remilia asked.

"She is sleeping." Sakuya replied. "It is late, and it would be improper for a child of her age to be awake at the present time. In the future, when she gets older, then things will be different."

"Fair enough," Remilia said. "She's a vassal too, so I suppose I shouldn't push her health too much right now."

"Yes, it is as you say, my lady."

Remilia nodded. "And how's her lessons going?" she asked next.

"Lady Patchouli remarks she's studious enough." Sakuya said. "She's having difficulty with the Roman alphabet, but her kana is good, and she's making good progress with basic kanji. And apparently, she does well in basic arithmetic as well."

"And magic-wise?"

"Lady Patchouli has her practicing her prana control through projection and reinforcement exercises." Sakuya replied. "However, Lady Patchouli has also stated that until Sakura's prana control has reached a certain level, she will not teach her anything more than that."

"Well, if that's what Patchy says, then fine."

"Yes, my lady."

The doors into the throne room opened, and entering Remilia picked up speed to reach and then sit down on her throne atop its dais on the far end of the room, flanked by crimson drapes. Sakuya took her place at her mistress' left, and after a moment Patchouli Knowledge emerged from the shadows to stand to one side of the carpeted aisle leading to the throne from the doors.

"How did it go, Patchy?" Remilia asked.

"The summoning was a success." Patchouli answered laconically, and Remilia grinned.

"Good, very good." She said, settling back on her throne. They waited for a few moments, and then the throne room doors opened. A man entered, the doors closing silently behind him. Dressed in a butler's outfit, he walked up the dais, and then placing a gloved hand on his chest, Kariya Matou sank to one knee.

"Show me your Servant, Kariya Matou." Remilia commanded.

"Yes, my lady. Berserker!"

There was a flicker of light, and then a towering, hugely-armored knight appeared next to Kariya, shrouded in shadows. His visor glowed an ugly red, and after a moment grudgingly sank to one knee as well.

"Can you control him?" Remilia asked.

"His power is great, and his insanity even greater." Kariya replied. "But compared to Miss Meiling's battle fury…it's very manageable by comparison."

"Very good then," Remilia said, sitting up on her throne. "Bring me the Holy Grail, and you shall have as I promised. By the inescapable power of fate, Aoi Tohsaka and her love shall be yours, now and forever."

Kariya bowed his head, the faintest hint of triumph masked by self-control born of time-warped years of training by his masters.

"It shall be as you command, Lady Remilia."

* * *

A/N

I've been toying with this idea for months, and it's finally ready.

It's not a _pure_ Touhou and Nasu crossover, as several fellow fans of Touhou told me not to apply the light-hearted theme of Touhou too strictly. It should still be there, but downplay it. Don't make it too important, and keep things serious when needed.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon. I also do not own Touhou Project, it belongs to ZUN.

The Scarlet Vampires Incident

Chapter 1

Normally one would expect that meals at the Scarlet Devil Mansion would be grand and extravagant affairs, to match the location's own opulence. The Scarlet Devil Mansion wasn't just large, if not outright _massive_ , after all, it was also very well furnished. The furniture was all handcrafted hardwood, the carpets, drapes, and other linens handwoven by Flemish and other traditional European and even Middle Eastern weavers, and where there was gold, gems, and precious metals it was all the real thing and not some faux substitution with modern lookalikes.

The portraits and sculptures, musical instruments and like, all of them were originals from great master artists and craftsmen from centuries ago. The entire mansion was essentially a museum, a monument to the wealth, power, and influence its mistress had gained and wielded before crossing to the Reverse Side of the World, exiling herself and her most trusted followers to that no-place known as Gensokyo, the Eastern Wonderland.

Back to the original point…one would expect the meals served within the mansion to be just as lavish as the location they were served at. But if so, then one would be disappointed.

Meals at the Scarlet Devil Mansion were simple affairs, barring the odd occasion where guests were entertained in which case the mansion's mistress did not hesitate to flaunt her wealth and power with excessively-lavish welcomes and accommodations. Otherwise…breakfast usually was porridge with cold meats, with more cold meats for lunch, and dinner…well, dinner was heartier than that. Roasted meat and cooked fresh vegetables, with leftovers being stored away for those times when the mansion's residents desired something to nibble on. Bread of all kinds was always available, and drink: the mansion had a well-stocked wine cellar, and its own well for clean water.

There were reasons for this, of course. For one thing, the Scarlet Sisters had no real need for food, though they still ate it for the flavor and middling amounts of energy. For another, most of the mansion's residents, its staff, also had no need for it _at all_ , though like their employers they still ate for just their enjoyment. And those residents that did need to eat weren't the luxuriously frivolous sort anyway.

So on this particular morning, preparing breakfast was as usual, done in a regularly-cleaned kitchen largely-devoid of people. Kariya stirred a large pot of porridge bubbling away at the stove, while nearby Sakuya was laying out a selection of cold meats to accompany it with.

"This should be done soon." Kariya said, after sampling the porridge.

Sakuya walked over to check, and sampling the porridge as well nodded. "Yes, it should." She agreed. "Let it simmer for another five minutes, and it should be done."

"Got it."

Sakuya nodded again, and returning to her work placed the finishing touches on the meat selection. Washing her hands, she went to boil water for tea, and to fetch more china and silver from a nearby storeroom.

On returning, she found Kariya had taken the porridge of the flame, and was washing his hands in the sink. "Will Miss Patchouli still be having her breakfast in the library?" he asked as Sakuya laid out the china and silver on a long kitchen table.

"You've been here for months now, so you should know by now the answer to that." Sakuya said while getting some trays from an overhead cabinet.

"Right, right." Kariya said with a sigh, before moving to help Sakuya with the trays. Together they placed the china and silver on the trays, before Kariya went to ladle out the porridge into bowls. Sakuya vanished for several moments with some of the laid out trays and with the meat selection, and then returning seemingly out of nowhere helped Kariya with the porridge.

"You take Miss Patchouli's meal down to the library," Sakura said while precariously balancing several trays on her. "I'll take care of the rest."

"As usual," Kariya said with a nod, and with a nod of her own Sakuya vanished with her cargo. "Right then."

Picking up Patchouli's tray with a grunt, Kariya left the kitchen to head for the Voile Library and its resident – literally it sometimes seemed – librarian.

* * *

"This is a blue car."

"This is a red building."

"A yellow tree."

"A black bird."

A pair of children busied themselves on the balcony floor, or so it seemed: only one of them was actually a child, while the other only looked and thought like a child, when in reality she was centuries old and wasn't even Human any more to boot. The Human child was a girl about six-years old, with short-cut dark hair and bright blue eyes, wearing a black dress with red lace edges. The other girl looked slightly older, about eight-years old, and had short-cut blonde hair partly tied into a ponytail on the left side of her head.

She wore a pink blouse under a red dress and vest, while a pink mob cap decorated with a red ribbon sat on her head. A pair of wings stretched out from her back, strange-looking ones that had eight, differently-colored crystals hanging off the spine of each wing instead of feathers.

And from a nearby table, Remilia watched her sister and newest vassal with a bored expression on her face. "Lady Remilia," Sakuya said while arriving with the rest of their breakfast. "Lady Flandre, Sakura, breakfast is ready."

"Okay!"

"Yes!"

"How about you, my lady?" Sakuya said while arranging the breakfast table and Sakura and Flandre rushing over and into their seats. "Do you have any special requests this morning?"

"I'm feeling thirsty for some blood." Remilia said as both Sakura and Flandre began tearing into their porridge. "O-minus…how about you Flan?"

Flandre blinked, and then sliding her spoon out of her mouth with a pop, swallowed before answering. "I'll have what big sister wants." She said softly, and then resumed spooning her porridge into her mouth.

"Very good, my lady." Sakuya said with a bow. "I will return shortly."

The maid then vanished, and after a few moments returned with a cold-frosted bottle and a pair of cut diamond goblets. She placed them before Remilia and Flandre, and poured thick, concentrated blood into the goblets.

Sakura carefully kept her eyes away, as while she'd already gotten used to the fact that her newest friend and her new mistress were both vampires, she still hadn't gotten used to seeing them drink blood. Remilia swirled the blood in her goblet, and drank in measured, elegant sips. In contrast, Flandre drank her goblet down all at once.

"More?" she asked, holding out her goblet for Sakuya to refill.

"Yes, my lady."

"Really, Flan," Remilia sighed. "Can you _not_ glut yourself on what you're drinking, and just savor it slowly?"

"But," Flandre protested after taking another drink that left bloodstains around her lower lips which she quickly licked away. "I'm thirsty."

Remilia sighed. "Of course you are." She said. "Never mind."

Flandre took another drink, and then held out the goblet. "More?" she asked, and Sakuya smiled.

"Yes, my lady."

* * *

"How do you plan to win this war?"

Kariya turned to look at the resident magus/librarian of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The violet-haired woman sat behind her desk, reading what looked like a medieval text while her bowl of porridge floated in the air beside her. "Or do you have no plan at all?" Patchouli asked.

"I do have a plan." Kariya said. "Though it's not set in stone just yet."

"Oh?"

"Apart from Einzbern and Matou," Kariya said. "We don't know who the other Masters might be, or even for those Masters we know, who their Servants are. So for now, I'll keep my options open."

"I see." Patchouli said with a slow nod. "That's a good decision. Find out more before making any big moves."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet." Patchouli said. "And how do you plan to gather information?"

"That's what familiars and summoned creatures are for." Kariya said. "Or I can just observe directly."

"A good answer," Patchouli said. "And then what?"

"Find the weakest among them, and then take them out." Kariya said. "I'll work my way up from there, while being careful not to have the other Masters and Servants unite against me. If possible, I should also try to turn the other Masters and Servants against each other."

"Interesting," Patchouli remarked. "Where did you get that last idea of yours?"

"Miss Meiling," Kariya replied. "She said that when one is outnumbered, the best option is to attack, and to turn the enemy's strength against them."

"…I imagine that was in a martial arts context, and not a battlefield one." Patchouli said. "A literal application of that could go badly, and instead lead to one getting overwhelmed by enemies on all sides."

"That's just it, isn't it?" Kariya said. "How to pull it off?"

"Yes, indeed." Patchouli said. "By the way, will you be staying here? That is, will you be using this mansion as a base of operations?"

"No." Kariya said. "I'd rather not draw attention to here. While I'm sure you and the others who live here can defend yourselves, depending on how many Masters and Servants come, you might just get overwhelmed. And Sakura is here: I don't want to risk bringing trouble to her."

"If so, then you are too late for that." Patchouli said. "Remilia and Flandre are both vampires…Dead Apostles. If word gets out, most other magi would stop at nothing to see them and their associates dead. And that includes that girl you care so much for."

"And whose fault is that, I wonder?"

"And I wonder who it was who was giving thanks on his knees that my experiment got rid of your family home and your father."

"…damn it."

Patchouli smiled with amusement. "You're decades away from winning a war of words with me, child." She remarked.

"Yeah, yeah, I get what you mean." Kariya said with a sigh.

"I'm curious, though." Patchouli continued. "From what you've told us, your father was something of a vampire himself, albeit one born of an incredibly crude and debased mystery. Hard to imagine someone like that, being the inheritor of someone who helped construct something so elaborate and complex like this Holy Grail."

"The family's been heading to the dogs for generations." Kariya all but spat. "My father – if he really was my father – was simply the worst of the lot. You could say he was all that had gone wrong with our gods-damned family."

"You should be careful when saying things like that." Patchouli warned. "Especially if you're going to stick around with us when we go back to Gensokyo. There are actual gods there, and invoking them in vain could end badly."

"I'll keep that in mind." Kariya said. "But I don't think it'll be necessary."

Patchouli narrowed her eyes. "Indeed," she said. "But that's not all I'm curious about. No, I'm more curious about the fact that despite your father being another vampire and the focus of so much of your hate, you're not all that concerned about working under vampires even more powerful than your father."

"Well, for one thing Lady Remilia isn't made of worms." Kariya said at once. "My father was literally made of worms. And Lady Remilia isn't the sort to stuff helpless children with worms, or to eat people."

"…Remilia is a vampire. She still drinks blood. I would say that counts as eating people."

"Point taken," Kariya conceded. "But you know what I mean. When Lady Remilia or Lady Flandre drink blood, they just drink it. Oh sure, they'll leave their victim a dried-up husk, but at least there'll be something left behind. A body to bury, a soul to pass on…but my father? Ha! There'd be nothing left. The worms will eat his victim down to the soul, and once they're done they'll merge together again into something that only looks remotely Human."

"A very subjective comparison…" Patchouli murmured. "Though I see what you mean. If Remilia should ever come to meet your father, I am certain she'd be insulted that something like him would be counted as among her kind."

"I'm sure she would." Kariya said. "Also, there's the fact that Lady Remilia's treated Sakura well. Yes, yes, I know what you're going to say. Lady Remilia was feeling kind and generous on that day, and so didn't just leave Sakura to fend for herself on the street, or just drain her of blood on the spot. But that's all beside the point: Lady Remilia took Sakura into her home, and placed her in the care of someone who treats her well."

"That's more because there isn't anyone else in this house apart from Sakuya who can be trusted to raise children." Patchouli said. "And there's also the fact that your precious Sakura is being raised and trained to eventually be one of Remilia's retainers in the future."

"That's fine." Kariya said with a sigh. "I'd prefer it if she can choose and live her own life, but if she can't…then I can settle for this. I understand how feudalism works anyway. Lady Remilia treats her followers well. And Sakura will be strong enough to defend herself, even without counting Lady Remilia's protection. She wouldn't have to worry about greedy and uncivilized magi going after her just to use her, like my father would have, and actually lives with people who care for her…unlike her worthless father!"

"Take care not to let that grudge blind you on the battlefield." Patchouli cautioned. "And I am aware of your pact with Remilia. So I suggest you take this warning in particular very seriously."

"I am taking it seriously."

"Humph…indeed."

Silence fell, Patchouli examining her medieval manuscript between bites of porridge and cold sausage. "If you will not base your operations from here," Patchouli began. "Then where?"

"I have some ideas." Kariya said.

"Do you now?"

"Yes."

Patchouli looked skeptically at Kariya, but he didn't say anything more. Turning back to her manuscript, Patchouli slowly finished her breakfast, and then gestured for Kariya. "I'm done with my breakfast." She said, and wiped her mouth clean with a table napkin. "You may take it away now."

"Yes, Miss Patchouli."

* * *

"I see." Remilia said, swirling blood in her goblet before setting it aside and picking up her teacup instead. "You will be leaving then, to keep from inconveniencing us with the matter of the Holy Grail War. And yet…do you really think we are that vulnerable?"

"Against the Masters alone, there is no question on who would triumph in any confrontation with my lady." Kariya said. "Even if they were to attack as one, there would still be no question."

"But?"

"The Servants…incarnated Heroic Spirits, they are another matter entirely." Kariya said before bowing low. "With all you have done for me and Sakura, I would not wish to risk drawing my lady into a battle she should not have to fight."

Remilia laughed. "You're a very good student." She said with a smile. "Not just when it comes to martial arts or magic, but how to talk to your superior. Telling me not to fight a battle I can't win without saying so outright…oh yes, you've learned much."

"I apologize if I caused offense." Kariya said with a bow.

Remilia waved him off. "No," she said. "It is the servant's place to prioritize their mistress' wellbeing. Your intentions cannot be criticized, and your efforts to apply them appropriate. Very well, I understand, and grant you leave to base your operations in this war elsewhere."

"Thank you very much." Kariya said with another bow. "Rest assured, I will make every effort to ensure that your trust in me is not misplaced."

"I would think not." Remilia said. "Not when I have promised you so much, and given you so much aid to ensure you can live up to your end of the bargain."

"Yes, and I most grateful."

Remilia nodded. "Yes, I am sure you are." She said. "All that is left is to prove it by living up to your end of the bargain. Moving on, I imagine you already have some idea on where to base your operations from?"

"I do, my lady."

"And where might that be?"

"Ryuudo Temple."

Remilia burst out laughing. "The temple?" she asked before laughing again. "No, no, it's nothing. I'm just reminded of someone else who lives in a temple, that's all. Speaking of which…how certain are you that the temple is available for your use, and even if you would force the issue, how certain are you that the current residents will not take umbrage at your doing so, and may have the power to cast you out? The shrine maidens I remember certainly would."

"Ryuudo Temple has not had any supernaturally-empowered Humans living within for centuries." Kariya said. "That said, I understand what you mean, my lady. Perhaps prudence may indeed be called for here."

"Oh?"

"For instance," Kariya began. "What if another Master had already taken up residence in the temple? While I could force the issue, it would be wiser to determine if that was the case, and who am I facing. Attacking an enemy in their stronghold is quite dangerous, especially if they've had the time to prepare defenses."

"Indeed," Remilia said with a nod. "Most prudent."

Kariya bowed in acknowledgement of the praise as Remilia drank her tea. "On that note however," Remilia said. "What is so valuable about the temple anyway? It's position aside, of course, given its relative isolation and its commanding position high on a mountain."

"First," Kariya said. "It is located on a junction between ley lines. All three of them, in fact. That would be most useful, especially considering Berserker's prana requirements."

"And your own spells, I imagine."

"It is as you say, my lady."

"So it is." Remilia said with a scoff. "Is that all?"

"No," Kariya said. "The mountain has its own ancestral defenses, specifically a bounded field which weakens spiritual beings should they approach the temple outside of the temple staircase. While I have my doubts of its effect against the three Servant Knights or Servants whose individual skills grant magic resistance, normally against most Servants it would be a useful factor in repelling against attack."

"Yes," Remilia said with a nod. "I can see how that can be useful. Most resourceful."

"I am honored by your praise." Kariya said with a bow.

"But," Remilia continued. "What would you do if Ryuudo Temple is closed to you?"

"Then I will have to explore other options."

"And those are?" Remilia said before resting her cheek against an elbow. "Or did you focus so much on Ryuudo Temple that you did not consider other options?"

"The Fuyuki Civic Center also sits atop another junction of the ley lines." Kariya said. "However it is of lesser value than Ryuudo Temple, lacking as it does its other advantages. In particular, it's more vulnerable to attack."

"Which would require you to put more effort into preparing defenses, correct?" Remilia said, and Kariya nodded. "Still, as an alternative to Ryuudo Temple, the civic center is a viable, if less desirable, option."

"As you say, my lady."

Remilia nodded, and finished her tea. "When will you be leaving then?" she asked, and setting aside her teacup.

"I will be finished with my preparations by this afternoon, my lady."

"I see." Remilia said while picking up her goblet. She paused, and then raised it slightly in a small toast to Kariya. "Very well, proceed as you have planned. But before you leave, make certain to say goodbye to everyone, understand?"

"I understand, my lady."

Kariya bowed, and with a wave Remilia dismissed him. As the man left and closed the door behind him, Remilia narrowed her eyes, and then raising her blood-filled goblet to her lips, drank.

* * *

"I see, so you're leaving then." Sakuya said. "I suppose it was inevitable, given this is what you've been training for over the past few months."

"In normal time, yes." Kariya said with a smile. "With your time-warp abilities though…it's actually been several years for me, hasn't it?"

Sakuya smiled. "So it has." She agreed.

"Will you be teaching that to Sakura when she's older?"

"Maybe I might." Sakuya said. "I'm not a magus, but I do have some pride in what I've been able to achieve, both before and after I came under Lady Remilia's service. I'd like to pass them on if I could. And if Sakura should prove to have the aptitude for it, then yes, I would give her my power over time."

"If Sakura has the aptitude…?" Kariya echoed before nodding. "As much as I hate to admit it…that damn Tokiomi has a point. Sakura has so much potential…so much that cannot be allowed to go to waste, otherwise it'd be an insult to her, and would leave her vulnerable to be targeted by those who want to use her. She needs to be able to protect herself."

"But…?"

"He could have chosen better on who would teach her how to do so." Kariya said with a sigh. "Or he could just have made her found a new branch family. Damn that man…"

"He only did as he knew best."

"Yeah, I know." Kariya said with another sigh. "But it's not good enough…he's not good enough for them…"

"And you think you are?"

Kariya sighed again and grimaced. "A few months ago…or several years ago…I'd have said yes." He said. "But now…after getting some humility and perspective being beaten into me by Miss Meiling…neither of us are good enough for Aoi or her children. They deserve better than a cold, close-hearted, obsessed son of a bitch, or a self-centered, struggling, and obsessed black sheep."

Sakuya laughed, but quickly turned serious. "And yet your agreement with Lady Remilia…" she began.

"Yes, I know." Kariya said with a nod. "But that agreement was made before Miss Meiling forced me to look at myself in the mirror. And right now…as much as I want to have it changed, it'll just come off as being irresolute. No…when I have something to offer, when I can offer what that agreement was made to obtain, then I should be able to ask for something in lieu of what was originally promised."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean," Sakuya admitted. "But I get the gist of it well enough. Good luck…and thank you."

"For what?"

"For being thoughtful."

Patting Kariya on a shoulder, Sakuya vanished, leaving Kariya alone in the hallway.

* * *

"You're going, uncle?"

"Yeah, I am."

Sakura and Kariya looked at each other in the Voile Library, next to where Patchouli was barely visible behind large stacks of books piled on her desk. "Where are you going?" Sakura asked. "Why?"

"I'll be going to someplace to fight the bad guys, and to bring something I promised Lady Remilia." Kariya said. "And you know that when you make promises, you have to keep them, right?"

Sakura nodded with a sound of agreement. "Will you come back?" she asked.

"I will."

"When?"

"When I have what I promised Lady Remilia."

Sakura was silent, staring at Kariya for a very long time. Finally, she nodded slowly and smiled. "Promise?" she asked, and Kariya blinked before laughing.

"Yes, I promise."

"OKAY! But remember: it's a promise, so you really have to come back! If you don't, I'll tell on Remi and Flan, and you don't want to make Flan angry, you know!"

"Wait…how do you know that?"

"Patchy-sensei told me."

"So I did." Patchouli said, standing up and walking out from behind her desk, and carrying a bulky-looking satchel with her. "It's a good thing to know. And don't get into the habit of calling Remilia 'Remi'. It's not polite."

"But she said it's alright!"

"Yes…for now, when you're still a kid." Patchouli said while patting Sakura on the head. "But when you grow up, you should show her the proper respect."

"I'm not sure you're one to talk, Miss Patchouli." Kariya remarked. "You call her just by her first n…!"

Kariya broke off as Patchouli shoved the bulky satchel into his arms. "Remilia and I go back a long way." She said. "That's all you need to know."

"…I-I see…what's all this?"

"Reference materials you might need." Patchouli said indifferently. "You're not the most gifted student, but you worked hard, and showed the capacity to change for the better. I don't like needless waste, and sending you out there without proper support is such needless waste."

"…thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Good luck, Uncle Kariya." Sakura said with a smile. "Beat up the bad guys really good, alright? And don't forget your promise!"

Kariya laughed, and adjusting the satchel patted Sakura on the head. "Thanks." He said. "I will, and I won't."

* * *

The jab came in fast, Kariya narrowly stepping back half a step to the side to avoid taking it to the eye. A series of punches followed, each strong enough to break reinforced concrete, and moving as fast as bullets, but Kariya blocked them all while giving way several steps.

Changing track, Kariya turned a couple of blows by blocking them by the wrist, and then riposted with a concentrated blast of his qi. The attacker blocked with crossed arms, but was pushed back by the impact. Opening her arms, the attacker jumped into the air, flipping over a few times before landing a falling kick on Kariya's own crossed arms.

Displaced air boomed and shook the yard, Kariya's knees bending from the strain as his attacker jumped back, kicking off Kariya to flip through the air and land gracefully on her feet. "Well done," Hong Meiling remarked, clapping softly. "You certainly don't disappoint anymore, like when you first got sent to me to man you up."

"Thanks…I think." Kariya said while adjusting his uniform.

"Off to war, huh?" Meiling said while stepping closer.

"That's right."

The redhead hummed in thought before grinning and patting Kariya on a shoulder. "Well, good luck then." She said. "I'm not sure what I can say apart from that though."

"…then I guess that's that."

"No wait, there is something!"

"And what is it?"

"It's a sad fact than when people who changed recently are put under stress, they revert back to how they used to be." Meiling said. "It's not an insult, but just an observation of Human nature."

"…it's a valid concern." Kariya said with a sigh. "I'll keep it in mind."

"Make sure you do." Meiling said. "It'll be a disappointment if you render your progress over the past few…months…years, all for nothing."

"Yes, I know."

Meiling grinned, and then stepping up beside Kariya gave him a firm pat on the back. "Alright then," she said. "I'll be looking forward for when you come back, alright?"

"I'll be sure to come back then." Kariya said, before stepping back, and then placing a fist against his palm before him, bowed. "Until we meet again, master."

Meiling returned the salute and bow. "Yes," she said. "Until we meet again, then."

* * *

A/N

I wonder how surprised those in the know will be, once they see what the Black Sheep of the Matou is capable of.


End file.
